Tumblr is Purple in Support of Gay Teens

Today, October 20, 2010, hundreds of thousands of people across the country are wearing purple to draw attention to the deaths of six youths who committed suicide after they were bullied or harassed because they were gay. Wearing purple today is a show of support for gay teens.

On the social media front, many people are standing up and taking a stance on this issue. On twitter, many people have Purple or NoH8 Twibbons on their avatar, or are using the hastag #purple, to show support.

Tumblr, which is growing in popularity (especially among teens),

has taken a silent step in support of gay teens by turning their normally blue dashboard a subdued shade of purple.

We’ve seen online organizations do similar things like this before. Google changes its logo for all sorts of occasions, and in support of many different causes, but I can’t think of any that have been on such a timely, controversial issue. Many Tumblr users are not happy with the change, while others are elated. I, for one, am glad some companies and organizations on the web are brave enough to take a timely stance on difficult issues.

Is this the beginning of more socially conscious social networking sites?